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BOSTON — Forty years ago, hockey fans in this city were routinely thrilled to their feet watching Bobby Orr go coast-to-coast-like-buttered-toast.

Partly because of the chip-it-in systems they are instructed to follow and the defensive coverage used against them, players just don't carry the puck end to end through an entire team anymore.

Well, hardly ever.

Peter Regin made such a mad dash Monday, zigging and zagging through Habs before just missing his attempt at what might have been the NHL's play of the year had he scored. With Erik Karlsson injured, there aren't many others in the league that can go end to end past five players en route to a goal.

The Senators' current fourth-line centre is one of them.

"I was going to say the last time I did it was '62," quipped coach Paul MacLean. "It's been a while for everybody."

MacLean retracted a bit, pointing out that Detroit's Pavel Datsyuk does score on some similarly spectacular efforts. He also gave special mention to a Jason Spezza goal against the Winnipeg Jets.

"I think (Regin) brings skill to the game," said MacLean. "The goal he scored in the shootout was a skill play. He has the ability to skate in the middle of the rink, which was very evident in the game the other night. Those are the elements we like as a team, and he brings them."

Regin says MacLean "wants the centres and wingers to start skating with the puck, and not just stand still." Of his rink-length rush, this is what he remembers: "I tried to take a couple of strides to get loose

from the guy who was forechecking me. First guy came against me, I tried to get around him, another one came.. and finally the D-man.

"I was pretty tired, it was at the end of a shift. Sometimes, you don't have any passes and you just keep going with it."

Regin was playing his first game after missing seven with a chest injury. Well documented is the fact his previous two seasons have been cut short with surgeries on his shoulders. Before all the health issues, he showed promise of becoming a good offensive player with a flare for the dynamic.

"It's fun to feel the puck, have some time with the puck, even though you want to pass it," he said. "That's my first instinct, to get it to my wingers. It gives you a little bit of confidence to kind of feel the puck and carry the puck a little bit."

Regin is famous in his native Denmark for scoring off rink-long rushes.

"I used to, I've done it at the worlds a couple of times," he said, before adding with a grin: "I still have one left here."

THIS AND THAT

Playing his first NHL game at TD Garden will be special for Senators defenceman Eric Gryba. It was his home rink for four seasons (2006-2010) when he was at Boston University. "Can't wait to go back, see some old friends, and play in the Garden again," said Gryba, who has many fond memories from his days as a Terrier. "Winning a national championship would probably be right up there. Couple of Bean Pot wins when I was there, and really cool games, playing at Fenway, playing two games at Madison Square Garden against Cornell. Games like that you remember, those are the cool moments." And a personal highlight? "Set the all-time record for penalty minutes," he said with a laugh. "Guess that's something to hang your hat on." ... Erik Condra is still a little sore from blocking a P.K. Subban slapshot while killing a penalty Monday. "Got me in between the pads," he said, pointing to his leg. "Seems like it always goes in between the pads. You've got so much padding on yet they find a way to sneak in there." Condra says the importance of shot blocking is something he and his teammates learned during their seven-game playoff with the New York Rangers last spring. "They blocked just about anything that comes their way," he said. "It obviously works for them, and you've got to take what teams do against you sometimes." ... Highly-touted prospect Mark Stone was on the ice Wednesday and is about a week from being able to play. He'll get a chance in Ottawa. "When everybody is healthy and available to us, we look forward to getting them in the lineup," said MacLean. "Mark Stone is also one of those players."

Final countdown

Zack Smith has not scored in the first 20 games of the season, but the Senators are pleased with his evolution into a shutdown centre. Smith, Chris Neil and Dave Dziurzynski have done yeomen work during the Senators' five-game winning streak. "You think about (the scoring drought) but it's harder when you're not winning," said Smith ... On playing back-to-back afternoon games this weekend, MacLean quipped: "Our pre-game skate is usually pretty good so I'm looking forward to that 12 p.m. one (in Philly Saturday). It could be good timing for us."

BOSTON — Forty years ago, hockey fans in this city were routinely thrilled to their feet watching Bobby Orr go coast-to-coast-like-buttered-toast.

Partly because of the chip-it-in systems they are instructed to follow and the defensive coverage used against them, players just don't carry the puck end to end through an entire team anymore.

Well, hardly ever.

Peter Regin made such a mad dash Monday, zigging and zagging through Habs before just missing his attempt at what might have been the NHL's play of the year had he scored. With Erik Karlsson injured, there aren't many others in the league that can go end to end past five players en route to a goal.

The Senators' current fourth-line centre is one of them.

"I was going to say the last time I did it was '62," quipped coach Paul MacLean. "It's been a while for everybody."